Defending Rio+20: A Historical Perspective

For months before Rio+20, there was a steady increase in discussion and attention to the prospect of achieving sustainable development by transitioning to a green economy. Well-researched publications have been disseminated while governance, environmental and social issues were discussed in side events, coffee shops and meeting rooms from New York to Nairobi and everywhere in between, further clarifying the major elements of sustainable development and our options for the future. As with the discourse during the Rio+20 event itself, this process should not be undervalued. The engagement of various stakeholders and the refinement of ideas and messages that the Rio+20 process stimulated will provide a firm foundation for all stakeholder groups to work from during the formal processes agreed to in the outcome document. Without a doubt we, the sustainable development community, are stronger than we were before even if the outcome document is weaker than we wanted. The challenge moving forward is to maintain this energy and build on the conference’s important outcomes even in the face of considerable pessimism due to expectations being unmet.